4. The Pompeii worm lives in deep-sea hydrothermal vents at temperatures of 176˚F (80˚C). It assembles a coating of minions – symbiotic microbes that apparently feed on mucus secreted by the worm – that might help insulate it from the heat.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/the-best-fight-club-everTue, 31 Mar 2015 10:04:55 -0400<b>Watch your back, Superman: The mantis shrimp is as fast as a speeding bullet.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultnonadult1. The Hercules beetle can carry up to <a href="http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/invertebrates/rhinoceros-beetles.aspx">850 times its weight</a>, which is like a human lifting <a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/elephant">eight</a> fully grown elephants (or about <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/photos/animal-records-gallery/">65 tons)</a>.
2. Millipedes of the genus <a href="http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/986014?sid=21105465524171&amp;uid=3739256&amp;uid=3739792&amp;uid=2&amp;uid=4"><i>Motyxia</i></a> glow in the dark and ooze <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982211008876">cyanide</a> — the perfect defense against enemies.
3. Wood frogs can survive <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070220-frog-antifreeze.html">being frozen in solid ice</a>.
4. The Pompeii worm lives in deep-sea hydrothermal vents at temperatures of 176˚F (80˚C). It assembles a coating of minions – symbiotic microbes that apparently feed on mucus secreted by the worm – that might help <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Pompeii_worm">insulate it from the heat</a>.
5. Fireflies' nervous systems control their glowing, and <a href="http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Invertebrates/Firefly.aspx">each species has its own pattern</a> — kind of like a subtle Bat-Signal.
6. Elephant seals can hold their breath for up to <a href="http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/pinnipeds/nelephant.php"><i>two hours</i></a>, making them excellent water spies.nonadultnonadult7. <a href="http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/komodo-dragon">Komodo dragons</a> will eat almost <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/komodo-dragon/">any kind of meat</a>, including smaller dragons, large water buffalo, and humans.
8. Goats like eating poison ivy and other <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/23/goats-take-a-bite-out-of-historic-sites-poison-ivy-problem/2581659/">invasive plants</a>, if you need any obstructive paths cleared.
9. Black swallowers are deep-sea fish with <a href="http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Chiasmodon-niger.html">collapsable teeth and an expandable stomach</a>, letting then gulp down prey ten times their weight.
10. African lungfishes can <a href="http://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/animals/african-lungfish">survive for years</a> without food or water by tunneling into mud and secreting a mucus cocoon.
11. Mantis shrimp can punch their prey at the speed of a <a href="http://www.aqua.org/explore/animals/mantis-shrimp">.22 caliber bullet</a> (or about 50 times faster than you blink).
12. Narwhals' <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/narwhal/">tusks</a> are actually <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140318-narwhal-tusk-tooth-anatomy-ocean-animal-science/">teeth</a>, and each tooth can contain up to <a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/narwhal">10 million</a> nerve <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.22886/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&amp;userIsAuthenticated=false">endings</a>.
13. Some spiders <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0105480">can grow bigger</a> in <a href="http://news.discovery.com/animals/insects/some-spiders-grow-bigger-in-urban-areas-140820.htm">urban areas</a>.nonadultnonadult14. Tardigrades, also known as water bears, can survive a <a href="http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/tardigrade/index.html">thousand times the lethal human dose of X-ray radiation</a>.
15. They've also been found everywhere on Earth: from the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0469.2010.00597.x/abstract">bottom of the ocean</a>, to <a href="https://www.uni-hamburg.de/biologie/BioZ/zmh/1995_Dastych_Kristensen.pdf">up a mountain</a> in the Himalayas.
16. In an ultimate death-defying finale to their act, some tardigrades have even <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982208008051">survived</a> out in the vacuum of space for 10 days.
17. The bacterium <i><a href="http://web.mst.edu/~microbio/BIO221_2010/D_radiodurans-1.html">Deinococcus radiodurans</a></i> can survive over 1,000 times as much radiation as a human. (It was discovered in 1956 in a can of meat that had supposedly been sterilized by radiation – still alive.)
18. Lobsters, meanwhile, <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0824_040824_lobster.html">pee</a> out of their <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/57241/25-delicious-facts-about-lobsters">faces</a>. (Surprise attack, anyone?)nonadultnonadult19. Hairy frogs break their bones and push them out through their toes to <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13991-horror-frog-breaks-own-bones-to-produce-claws.html#.VPS-ELDF8yB">make claws</a>, just like Wolverine.
20. Horned lizards can <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEl6TXrkZnk">shoot blood from their eyes</a> (and at their enemies).
21. If a predator catches their tail, geckos and iguanas can <a href="http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=1103">disconnect it from their bodies</a> and regrow it later.
22. Salamanders and starfish can <a href="http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=1103">respawn entire limbs</a>!
23. And axolotls can even <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17507409">regenerate</a> a crushed spinal cord.
24. A mimic octopus can appear to transform into other species at will – one minute it's a lion fish, then seconds later it's a sea snake. It's so stealthy scientists only <a href="http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/the_mimic_octopus_master_of">discovered it in 1998</a>.nonadultTheir new exhibit, <i><a href="http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/on-exhibit-posts/life-at-the-limits-opens-april-4">Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species</a></i>, opens April 4, 2015.nonadultnonadultWhy You Hate Hearing Your Voice On Recordingshttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/why-you-hate-the-sound-of-your-own-voice?utm_term=4ldqpia
Yes, that’s what you really sound like — but it’s not as bad as you think.

If you’ve ever heard your voice played back to you and hate it, you’re not alone.

Will Varner/BuzzFeed / Thinkstock

"That's pretty universal," said Aaron Johnson, assistant professor at the Department of Speech & Hearing Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "I don't know that I've ever met anyone who's starting off in vocal training that likes to listen to themselves."

That means that even professional singers go through it, and as Billboard charts might indicate, they've probably gotten over it.

To understand why you can't stand hearing your own pipes, there are two complementary explanations: the mental and the physical. With some practice, you can overcome hating how you sound.

Let's break it down into bite-size chunks.

How your voice works

Will Varner / BuzzFeed

When you talk or sing, your two vocal folds (also known as vocal cords, which are folds of tissue) flutter, and those vibrations journey through your vocal tract to the back of your throat.

The sound that comes out depends on the position of each player involved: the shape and length of that tube, where your tongue is, if your lips are parted or rounded, and so on.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/why-you-hate-the-sound-of-your-own-voiceMon, 30 Mar 2015 15:16:14 -0400<b>Yes, that's what you really sound like — but it's not as bad as you think.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultnonadult"That's pretty universal," said Aaron Johnson, assistant professor at the Department of Speech &amp; Hearing Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "I don't know that I've ever met anyone who's starting off in vocal training that likes to listen to themselves."
That means that even professional singers go through it, and as <i>Billboard</i> charts might indicate, they've probably gotten over it.
To understand why you can't stand hearing your own pipes, there are two complementary explanations: the mental and the physical. With some practice, you can overcome hating how you sound.
Let's break it down into bite-size chunks.nonadultnonadultWhen you talk or sing, your two vocal folds (also known as vocal cords, which are folds of tissue) flutter, and those vibrations journey through your vocal tract to the back of your throat.
The sound that comes out depends on the position of each player involved: the shape and length of that tube, where your tongue is, if your lips are parted or rounded, and so on.nonadultnonadultYour voice is also conducted through the tissue and bones in your head in an additional layer that bypasses the atmosphere and outer ear. It's like when a car with cranked music thunders by and you feel the bass, said Johnson. That surge is a series of sound pressure waves that are physically transmitted through your body.
In other words, you feel it.nonadultnonadultAnyone who has transcribed anything knows how painful it can be to listen to yourself. But why do you sound so...weird?
That big ole skull filled with spaghetti on your shoulders has a lot to do with it. Think of it this way: When you put your hand over a flashlight, your hand looks red because red light has longer wavelengths than blue or purple. Red's lengthier wavelengths travel through tissue more easily than the shorter wavelengths of colors on the other side of the visible spectrum.
Now, pretend your voice is the light. The lower, longer wavelengths filter more easily through our head's tissue and to our ears, so it sounds deeper and richer to us, but the frequencies in real life and the recording are pretty much the same.nonadultnonadultYes, it is possible. Here are some of Johnson's tips:
<b>Override your brain bias.</b>
If you hear yourself on a recording, your first thought might be, <i>That's not me!</i> "One [way] is just get used to it," Johnson said. "If you listen to it enough, you can accept it."
This psychological ploy is called the mere exposure effect, and it's pretty simple: You prefer what is familiar to you. A good example of this is when you see a friend in the mirror and they look a bit odd. That's because the way you see them is straight on, so that's why your brain logs their reflection as different (and a little less preferable).
To get a better sense of what your voice sounds like in the room, Johnson suggested a simple experiment. Put your hands in front of your ears so they form a wall between your mouth and ears. (That way the sound can't travel directly to your ear.) You'll still get the immediate conduction in your head, but you'll get more of the reverberations that happen in the room.
<b>Get real-time feedback.</b>
This might not be readily available for everyone, but if you wear headphones and have a mic hooked up, you can override the sound waves that are traveling through your head, he said. Musicians use it to practice pitch and other aspects of vocal training.
<b>And if you're up for it, a professional coach can help.</b>
It's also a big misconception that you're stuck with the sound you're born with. "Anyone can learn to use their voice in more healthy, efficient, beautiful ways," Johnson said. "I hate to say 'make it better,' because that means different things to different people. A good voice is hard for everyone to agree upon."
But if you truly want to change something, like how hoarse you get after a long day of talking at work, or if you get winded when you speak, a voice clinic can help. "It's just another physical activity and athletic use of the body, but most people don't think about it. They think what we're born with is what we got, but training goes a long way."
And if we're talking about the bevy of "um"s and "you know"s that you hear, fear not: <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/words-phrases-you-wish-you-used-less#.mv7m38Qx8">A lot of those are natural to speech</a>.nonadultCan You Guess Which Creature Prefers The Dark?http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/guess-the-night-owl?utm_term=4ldqpia
In honor of Earth Hour, pick the one you think is a night owl.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/guess-the-night-owlSat, 28 Mar 2015 15:38:08 -0400<b>In honor of Earth Hour, pick the one you think is a night owl.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultChina's National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult18 Things You Can Do When A Person You Love Is Facing A Scary Diagnosishttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/things-you-can-do-or-say-facing-a-scary-diagnosis?utm_term=4ldqpia
“You don’t have to be perfect — just be present.”

Will Varner / BuzzFeed

I'm all for being hopeful and reassuring, but I also think it's really important to only promise things you're sure can come true. Everyone says, "You'll get through this" or, "It's just a bump in the road," but the truth is, a lot of times we don't know that.

Submitted by Megan Altschuler (Facebook)

When someone is scared, allow them to be scared. In the days leading up to my tests, everyone kept telling me to not worry: "I'm sure everything will be fine." It made me so mad. I was absolutely terrified, and everyone telling me not to worry completely made light of the fact that I could be looking at cancer.

Then after two sleepless nights, I talked to my best friend, and he started crying. He was scared, just as scared as I was, asking me a hundred questions, and it actually made me feel better. Because I knew I wasn't alone in being scared, and that being scared wasn't silly or irrational.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/things-you-can-do-or-say-facing-a-scary-diagnosisFri, 27 Mar 2015 12:57:13 -0400<b>"You don't have to be perfect — just be present."</b>kasiagalazkanonadultnonadultnonadultI'm all for being hopeful and reassuring, but I also think <b>it's really important to only promise things you're sure can come true</b>. Everyone says, "You'll get through this" or, "It's just a bump in the road," but the truth is, a lot of times we don't know that.
Submitted by Megan Altschuler (Facebook)nonadultWhen someone is scared, allow them to be scared. In the days leading up to my tests, everyone kept telling me to not worry: "I'm sure everything will be fine." It made me so mad. I was absolutely terrified, and everyone telling me not to worry completely made light of the fact that I could be looking at cancer.
Then after two sleepless nights, I talked to my best friend, and he started crying. He was scared, just as scared as I was, asking me a hundred questions, and it actually made me feel better. <b>Because I knew I wasn't alone in being scared, and that being scared wasn't silly or irrational.</b>
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/susanrebeccah">susanrebeccah</a>nonadultIt was just enough to make me smile when I needed it most, but not so much that I felt pitied or bad in any way. I really appreciated that.
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/sanchiar">sanchiar</a>nonadultWhat a lot of people don't understand is in bad circumstances, you don't always have to shove everything full of optimism. I don't want a motivational poster of a cat hanging on a clothesline; I just want you to laugh when I joke about how ridiculous I would look with a bald head.
If you know someone who is suffering, just be there for them, love on them — and most importantly, make them laugh. <b>Because when everything is hanging in the balance, a bit of normality is a beautiful thing.</b>
Submitted by Hannah Martin (Facebook)nonadultnonadultI am constantly bombarded by terrible medical advice from hairdressers, co-workers, family friends — even the checkout people at the grocery. It's exhausting and frustrating, so don't suggest unless they ask.
Submitted by Emily Cox (Facebook)nonadultnonadultI had a friend do that and during the most difficult year of my life, I had to deal with a lost friend. Don't be that friend.
Submitted by Meredith Lynch Vartuli (Facebook)nonadultSit down. Shut up. Listen.
Submitted by Sunshine Then (Facebook)nonadultnonadultI met my current boyfriend the day I was diagnosed with cervical cancer two years ago (a weird but beautiful coincidence). I kept minimizing it because I didn't want to come off as weak, but he was always there to remind that what I was going through was a big deal, that I was allowed to be scared or angry or whatever I needed to be.
That's the best advice I can give: Just support the emotions the person is having. <b>I had every emotion in the book, and he not only let me feel how I needed to without judgment, but always reminded me that I had a right to feel however I wanted.</b> Two years later I am cancer-free and we are planning a life together.
Submitted by Isabelle Crew (Facebook)nonadultThey researched my illness to be well-informed, and that made me feel less alone.
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/callmecaity91">callmecaity91</a>nonadultNever, ever say, "Let me know if you need anything." I've found that this statement is an empty sentiment. <b>Just do it.</b>
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/missmissc">missmissc</a>nonadultThis is a time where massaging what hurts means more than a hug or a kiss. A warm blanket before bed is worth more than a Porsche. A funny story about your co-worker is what they would rather hear than "feel better." Seeing you there in the middle of the night when they have been vomiting with a wet cloth and a cup of mouthwash is a more beautiful sight than the two of you on the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/thekatieahern">thekatieahern</a>nonadultnonadultThe medical system is a bureaucratic nightmare, and sometimes locking down an appointment can take months, often making patients feel frustrated and hopeless.
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/sineadt">sineadt</a>nonadultThe worst thing that people did was try to minimize the disease by saying, "Oh, well my [insert family member] has it!" or "Diabetes is everywhere!" To me, it was like telling someone mid-divorce that it was no big deal because divorce happens a lot — <b>as prevalent as a disease may be, it is a very personal, life-altering experience that needs to be treated as such.</b>
Submitted by Heather Noelle Williams (Facebook)nonadultnonadultIt reduces anxiety by miles.
Most importantly, ask what you can do to best serve them. Perhaps the person prefers to turn to their faith for guidance and being able to provide someone of their faith may be so helpful. Sometimes a hug goes a long way. Sometimes stepping aside and giving space is the best solution.
Ask the person how you can be there for them during this difficult time. There's really no wrong answer to this question, yet no suggestion ever feels right.
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/cjcal">cjcal</a>nonadultMy best friend — we met on the second day of kindergarten — has MS. <b>When she told me her diagnosis, I promised I would treat her the same way I always have.</b> We have always joked with each other, and we still do. I don't pull punches with her or treat her like she's going to break.
Last year, I gave her a plush ganglion for Christmas with a note saying she could use the brain cells. She loved it.
Right now, I'm working on a book of childhood memories that we shared since she's losing those. Hopefully she'll be able to remember things when they are in black and white.
Submitted by Megan Funk (Facebook)nonadultIt is so simple yet so beautifully significant.
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/lassieface808">lassieface808</a>nonadultnonadultMy friend came over and cleaned my entire apartment (which I hadn't lifted a finger to clean for weeks), and ordered pizza. She just sat with me, and stayed with me for hours while I rested, and she read a book. I was so moved by that, and things started to look up. <b>My lesson I took away from that is sometimes all you can do is just be there, and that's saving someone's life.</b>
Submitted by Caroline Nissen (Facebook)nonadultRemember that no good deed, no matter how small, goes unnoticed. My friends who sent me packages, brought over Chipotle, sent me encouraging text messages, and just would sit and cry with me meant the world. <b>You don't have to be perfect — just be present.</b>
Submitted by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/eliseg11">eliseg11</a>nonadultnonadultThis CD Shattering In Slow Motion Is Majestically Satisfyinghttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/slow-mo-guys-cd-shattering?utm_term=4ldqpia
Finally, a use for all those free AOL hours you’ve been saving up for decades.

The Slow Mo Guys take everyday things and film them using high-speed cameras for magnificent slow-motion videos.

In a new episode featuring their slowest footage yet, Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy take a few CDs to see if they can make them shatter using nothing but a vacuum cleaner motor and some good old-fashioned rotational speed.

How about even faster — say, about 170,000 FPS?

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/slow-mo-guys-cd-shatteringWed, 25 Mar 2015 18:32:59 -0400<b>Finally, a use for all those free AOL hours you've been saving up for decades.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultIn a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs7x1Hu29Wc">new episode</a> featuring their slowest footage yet, Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy take a few CDs to see if they can make them shatter using nothing but a vacuum cleaner motor and some good old-fashioned rotational speed.nonadultOK, so warp speed isn't <i>technically</i> real, but the CD <i>is</i> warping.nonadultThat's only about 1,100 times slower than regular speed.nonadultIt would only take seven-and-a-half hours to watch those four seconds and 96 gigs of footage.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultJane Goodall Used To Have A Crush On Tarzan, And Other Tidbits From A Lost Interviewhttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/jane-goodall-used-to-have-a-crush-on-tarzan?utm_term=4ldqpia
Goodall is known for her work with primates. But did you know she hopes Bigfoot is real?

English anthropologist Jane Goodall is famous for her extensive research on chimpanzees.

When she was 26, she left home and arrived in what is now Tanzania, armed for research with nothing more than binoculars and a notebook.

Andrew Burton / Getty Images

In a new episode of Blank on Blank, a show that reimagines lost interviews, Goodall recounts how she got her start.

When speaking with Science Friday's Ira Flatow more than a decade ago, Goodall details her love of Tarzan when she was around 10 — and how envious she was of Jane.

She also calls herself a romantic and hopes unidentified species like Bigfoot are real.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/jane-goodall-used-to-have-a-crush-on-tarzanWed, 25 Mar 2015 07:06:00 -0400<b>Goodall is known for her work with primates.</b> But did you know she hopes Bigfoot is real?kasiagalazkanonadultWhen she was 26, she left home and arrived in what is now Tanzania, armed for research with nothing more than <a href="http://www.janegoodall.org/jane">binoculars and a notebook</a>.nonadultWhen speaking with <i>Science Friday</i>'s Ira Flatow more than a decade ago, Goodall details her love of Tarzan when she was around 10 — and how envious she was of Jane.
<a href="http://www.janegoodall.org/study-corner-biography">After reading <i>The Story of Dr. Dolittle</i></a>, she wanted to move to Africa to live with animals and write books about them.nonadultThey'd never seen a white ape before!nonadultnonadult<a href="http://www.janegoodall.org/study-corner-biography">And learn more about Jane here</a>.nonadult14 Reasons You Should Watch "Bob's Burgers" IRLhttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/bobs-burgers-live?utm_term=4ldqpia
Bob’s Burgers Live is hitting up eight cities with stand-up from the cast, clips from future episodes, and a table read.

First you get an eloquently printed invitation to hang out with your faves.

And for once, you feel like you've found your people.

You both admire and are envious of all the Louise ears floating around.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/bobs-burgers-liveMon, 23 Mar 2015 13:58:03 -0400<b><i>Bob’s Burgers</i> <a href="http://bobsburgerslivevip.com/">Live</a> is hitting up eight cities with stand-up from the cast, clips from future episodes, and a table read.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultAnd they grow increasingly sacred as the day nears.nonadultAnd give occasional behind-the-curtain glimpses.nonadultFandom knows no bounds.nonadultBut are too socially inept to ask where they got them.nonadultTopsy back from the dead makes your heart poop its pants.nonadultAnd you feel tingly in all of your giblets.nonadultAlthough they could come out wearing garbage bags and say nothing and it would still be thrilling.nonadultAnd if she says to stow one in your mouth, you do it.nonadultNo one has to know you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.nonadultIt's like painting a word picture!nonadultWith H. Jon cuing music from <i>Platoon</i> into his mic and John Roberts yelling to get on one knee.nonadultIt isn't a nightlight, but it does make your heart glow.nonadultFarewell, sweet gathering of <i>Bob's Burgers</i> lovers.nonadult? Thank you for loving us, thank you for being there! Everyone's thankin', the-select-cities-you-visited are thankin' you. ?nonadultnonadult22 Majestically Nerdy Tumblr Punshttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/designer-genes?utm_term=4ldqpia
“I’ve recently decided to freeze myself to -273℃. My friends think I’ll die, but I’ll be 0K.”

This supplemental cafe:

On chilling out:

On love triangles:

This cool dude:

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/designer-genesFri, 20 Mar 2015 14:13:35 -0400<b>"I’ve recently decided to freeze myself to -273℃. My friends think I’ll die, but I’ll be 0K."</b>kasiagalazkanonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultHow Good Are You At Remembering The Lyrics To "Total Eclipse Of The Heart?"http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/total-eclipse-of-the-heart-lyrics?utm_term=4ldqpia
In honor of the solar eclipse this Friday, can you nail Bonnie Tyler’s classic?

Relive the glory of Bonnie Tyler's epic video.

And don't forget the literal version of the video. Happy solar eclipse day!

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/total-eclipse-of-the-heart-lyricsThu, 19 Mar 2015 11:33:00 -0400<b>In honor of the solar eclipse this Friday, can you nail Bonnie Tyler's classic?</b>kasiagalazkanonadultnonadultAnd don't forget the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgWUq0fdKk">literal version</a> of the video. Happy solar eclipse day!nonadultnonadultScientists Have Figured Out How Fast The Fastest Star In The Galaxy Ishttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/the-fastest-star-in-the-galaxy?utm_term=4ldqpia
And it’s going a mere 2.7 million miles per hour.

A speeding star in our galaxy is the fastest recorded star in the Milky Way Galaxy.

In a new study published in Science, astronomers used two telescopes in Hawaii to determine that the white dwarf is going about 1,200 kilometers per second. (In case you forgot, white dwarves are dense, burned-out stars.)

In other words, that's about 2,684,320 miles per hour! (Which is much faster than a speeding bullet.) With some quick math, that means it could go from Earth to the moon in a little over five minutes.

Dan Meth / BuzzFeed

It's so fast, it'll escape the Milky Way's gravity.

Dubbed US 708, the star blipped on astronomers' radar a decade ago. Unlike other stars, it's not harnessed in an orbit, which is why scientists refer to it as unbound, or a hypervelocity star (HVS) — and why it can fling itself right out of our galaxy.

Our sun and solar system, on the other hand, orbit the Milky Way's center at a velocity of about 230 kilometers per second (or 515,000 mph), which is basically sleepily puttering around a house in slippers compared to US 708.

Dan Meth / BuzzFeed

So how did it become so fast?

Well, it's suspected to have been ejected from a type of supernova, or when a star gains too much matter and explodes. In this particular case, US 708 had a binary star buddy, and they orbited one another.

That's where things got a little frayed between the two: Helium-rich US 708 is theorized to have transferred its gas to its companion, which burst into a supernova that shot US 708 across the galaxy, according to a release.

US 708's origin is different from its unbound comrades too: HSVs are believed to be catapulted when a massive black hole consumes one star from a duo and ejects its buddy. But US 708's velocity and trajectory point to a heated binary dispute without the black hole instigator.

Dan Meth / BuzzFeed

Here's a short video that helps visualize the ejection.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/the-fastest-star-in-the-galaxyTue, 17 Mar 2015 15:12:49 -0400<b>And it's going a mere 2.7 million miles per hour.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultIn a <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6226/1126">new study</a> published in <i>Science</i>, astronomers used two telescopes in Hawaii to determine that the white dwarf is going about 1,200 kilometers per second. (In case you forgot, white dwarves are dense, burned-out stars.)
In other words, that's about 2,684,320 miles per hour! (Which is much faster than a speeding bullet.) With some quick math, that means it could go from Earth to the moon in a little over five minutes.nonadultDubbed US 708, the star blipped on astronomers' radar <a href="http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2005/48/aahj262/aahj262.html">a decade ago</a>. Unlike other stars, it's not harnessed in an orbit, which is why scientists refer to it as unbound, or a hypervelocity star (HVS) — and why it can fling itself right out of our galaxy.
Our sun and solar system, on the other hand, orbit the Milky Way's center at a velocity of about <a href="http://www.space.com/19915-milky-way-galaxy.html">230 kilometers per second</a> (or 515,000 mph), which is basically sleepily puttering around a house in slippers compared to US 708.nonadultWell, it's suspected to have been ejected from a <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/what-is-a-supernova.html">type of supernova</a>, or when a star gains too much matter and explodes. In this particular case, US 708 had a binary star buddy, and they orbited one another.
That's where things got a little frayed between the two: Helium-rich US 708 is theorized to have transferred its gas to its companion, which burst into a supernova that shot US 708 across the galaxy, <a href="http://www.keckobservatory.org/recent/entry/thermonuclear_supernova_ejects_galaxys_fastest_star">according to a release</a>.
US 708's origin is different from its unbound comrades too: HSVs are believed to be catapulted when a <a href="http://www.space.com/19748-hypervelocity-stars-milky-way.html">massive black hole consumes one star</a> from a duo and ejects its buddy. But US 708's velocity and trajectory point to a heated binary dispute without the black hole instigator.nonadultSayonara, gravity!nonadultnonadultThis Replica Of The Maze From "The Shining" Is Incrediblehttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/all-work-and-no-play-makes-an-awesome-maze?utm_term=4ldqpia
MythBuster Adam Savage left no detail behind. The Stanley Kubrick exhibition is currently on display in Mexico.

Remember the hedge maze from The Shining?

In Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film, the maze makes a few appearances as the psychological horror starts to spiral, both in life-size form and as a miniature model in the hotel. The movie also peaks in the labyrinth (and leads to Jack Torrance's chilly demise).

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/all-work-and-no-play-makes-an-awesome-mazeMon, 16 Mar 2015 15:31:24 -0400<b><i>MythBuster</i> Adam Savage left no detail behind.</b> The <i>Stanley Kubrick</i> exhibition is currently on display in Mexico.kasiagalazkanonadultIn Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film, the maze makes a few appearances as the psychological horror starts to spiral, both in life-size form and as a miniature model in the hotel. The movie also peaks in the labyrinth (and leads to Jack Torrance's chilly demise).nonadultThe undertaking required resolving some inconsistencies. As he notes in a post for <a href="http://www.tested.com/art/makers/504037-my-shining-maze-build/"><i>Tested</i></a>, several iterations of the maze appear in the film.nonadultIn case you didn't know, Savage has an <a href="http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/adam-savage/">extensive background</a> in working with his hands, from welding and prop-making to stage and graphic design, to name a handful. (See also: <i>MythBusters</i>.)nonadultSavage extrapolated the measurements and mapped out the scale. Though its grandiosity became overwhelming at times — including the eagle-eyed tweaking of the miniature elements — he completed it in time.
After checking with Oscar-winning director and fellow Kubrick obsessive Lee Unkrich, Savage fixed some minute details and was ready to ship the maze.nonadultnonadultnonadultThe maze is <a href="http://www.stanleykubrick.de/en/ausstellungstour-exhibition-on-tour/">currently on display</a> at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Monterrey, Mexico until summer.
The exhibition will migrate to Seoul later this year, followed by San Francisco.nonadultAnd that not-at-all-unsettling door.nonadultAll work and no play makes a superbly awesome maze replica.nonadultnonadultThere's A New Version Of "Rock Band" Cominghttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/theres-a-new-rock-band-coming?utm_term=4ldqpia
Hope you have your fork ready because it’s time to start noodling.

Game development studio Harmonix has announcedRock Band 4 is coming this year.

Since the last edition came out five years ago, a few consoles were born, so the new game will be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Rock!

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/theres-a-new-rock-band-comingSat, 14 Mar 2015 16:57:53 -0400<b>Hope you have your fork ready because it's time to start noodling.</b>kasiagalazkanonadult11 Things Night Owls Don't Want To Hear Anymorehttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/things-night-owls-are-tired-of-hearing?utm_term=4ldqpia
It’s an early bird world out there, but we don’t really care about worms.

Night owls are majestic creatures, but living in a daytime world can be hard.

Here are some of the phrases we hear the most — and some reasons why you thrive best after hours.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/things-night-owls-are-tired-of-hearingSat, 14 Mar 2015 15:32:58 -0400<b>It’s an early bird world out there, but we don't really care about worms.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultHere are some of the phrases we hear the most — and some reasons why you thrive best after hours.nonadultBecause that's our preferred sleep pattern, or chronotype. That’s like asking you to stay up past your bedtime! If a night owl wakes up early regularly, you feel perpetually jet lagged and don't operate at your best.nonadultnonadultnonadultActually, we’re awake the same number of hours, just at a different time slot. Think of it as a different shift. One study even shows folks who stay up <a href="http://personal.lse.ac.uk/kanazawa/pdfs/paid2009.pdf">tend to be intelligent</a>.nonadultNot at all. A night owl’s peak energy hours are at night, so the times early birds are gearing up for bed, night owls are at their most productive!
Neither time slot is superior, either: It's a matter of your circadian rhythm, which can get complicated when signals from societal and daylight cues cross, as <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/moral-mornings">this article</a> in the <i>New Yorker</i> explains.nonadultnonadultnonadultSigh, we know. Time stamps are our downfall because they immediately out our not-so-secret habit of staying up.nonadultYeah, everything is fine! We promise late-night activity doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong — it’s just when we’re at our happiest.nonadultTo us, anything before 2 p.m. is not brunch — it’s breakfast (and we usually don’t go out for that because it ends before we are awake).nonadultWe truly love you so much, but if we don’t sleep in, we will be unhappy zombies the rest of the day. We promise it’s nothing personal.nonadultThat’s better, but only if you want us to re-enact <i>Weekend at Bernie’</i>s all day.nonadultWhat? Why?nonadultnonadultnonadultSo far it’s been decades of slogging through school and work and nothing has changed, so we don’t see that happening anytime soon. Even if it does naturally, it'll be gradual.
Also, did you know there's a <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/02/the-town-thats-building-life-around-sleep/283553/">town in Germany</a> that is shifting its schedules around people's chronotypes? Fancy that.nonadultLiving our best lives, probably! Everyone has a different reason for being a creature of the night, but the serenity of everyone being asleep can be comforting when you’re noise-averse.
It’s prime time to quietly read, get crafty without disruption, or just unwind and let sleep crawl in whenever it feels like it. We just love it!nonadultCan You Guess What These 11 Adorable Animals Are?http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/cute-animal-quiz?utm_term=4ldqpia
Must…resist…urge…to boop…screen.

She's made everything from creatures, like sloths...

...to critters like mice.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/paintings-for-antsSat, 14 Mar 2015 11:24:03 -0400<b>They would also go swimmingly with Derek Zoolander's center.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultHer series <i>365 Paintings for Ants</i> started as a side project after Loots took a business course for artists and decided she didn't want to pursue that career anymore.
But she still wanted to paint, so she allotted herself an hour a day to do so. Since the only thing she could finish in that time was a miniature, the idea spawned.nonadultAs the project started rolling in 2013, people started asking her what she was going to do with paintings so small, and so she started saying they're for ants.
"I guess I’ve always wanted to find a way to document things," she says in a <a href="https://vimeo.com/82643547">video</a> made about the project. "This just gives me a way to put something down and make a mark on each day."nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult"I just started thinking: What if I just don’t stop?" she says in the video. Her follow-up series, <i>365 Postcards for Ants</i>, focused on Cape Town last year.
Her latest project is called "Potluck 100: Paintings for Ants," which are 100 paintings split into four categories: Microcosm Mondays (space), Tiny Tuesdays (books), Fursday (animals) and Free Fridays (whoever bought the day gets to suggest five topics, so long as it's universal).
See more of her work at <a href="http://lorraineloots.com/">her site</a>, or follow her on <a href="https://instagram.com/lorraineloots/">Instagram</a>.nonadultnonadultSome Books Used To Be Made Of Human Skin, And This Might Be One Of Themhttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/human-skin-book?utm_term=4ldqpia
Sound horrifying? The practice was more common than you think.

Hesburgh Libraries University of Notre Dame

Now University of Notre Dame conservators are awaiting results about whether a book in their collection was made using human skin.

Though the Notre Dame copy's history is unclear, the book has been a highlight on the library's Special Collections tour for so long that researchers decided to send a sample to the New York City Medical Examiner's office.

The annotations about the book's potential origins can be seen in this photograph.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/human-skin-bookFri, 13 Mar 2015 06:46:09 -0400<b>Sound horrifying?</b> The practice was more common than you think.kasiagalazkanonadultnonadultnonadultNow University of Notre Dame conservators are awaiting results about whether a book in their collection was made using human skin.
Last year Harvard conservators <a href="http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/houghton/2014/06/04/caveat-lecter/">confirmed a book in their library had an exterior made of human skin</a> after scientists tested the binding, and <a href="http://www.museum.rcsed.ac.uk/exhibitions-and-collections/key-collections/key-object-page.aspx?objID=1226&amp;page=2">other</a> surviving <a href="http://cdm.bostonathenaeum.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15482coll3/id/4273">books</a> have periodically surfaced.
Though the Notre Dame copy's history is unclear, the book has been a highlight on the library's Special Collections tour for so long that researchers decided to send a sample to the New York City Medical Examiner's office.nonadultThe annotations about the book's potential origins can be seen in this photograph.nonadultNewspaper clippings inside purport that Christopher Columbus once owned the book, which is said to have been bound with the skin of a Moorish chieftain. It may have passed hands after an era of forcible conversions of Muslim inhabitants to Christianity in Granada, Spain.
But other evidence indicates it may have been in the library of a German book collector around the same time, which contradicts the clippings' timeline. Specifically, an inscription on the title page reads "Sum Christophori Binderi" ("Christophorus Binderus' book"), according to a synopsis from staff curator George Rugg. The university speculates it obtained the book around 1916.
To determine whether it's human skin, scientists use a process that identifies the protein fingerprint of the material. Since other proteins can contaminate the book, the potential human skin piece was taken from underneath the pastedown, an inside area which isn't immediately visible and which is readily reparable. "We tried to be as discreet as possible in taking that sample," Sue Donovan, who is currently working on the project as part of a conservation fellowship, told BuzzFeed.nonadultAccording to one of the newspaper clippings above, “the book is bound in the skin of a Moorish chieftain who was hostile and ever unmerciful to the Christians in Spain."nonadultUsing human skin to cover books, or anthropodermic binding, peaked in the 19th century and was associated with medical publishing. "The doctors would have dissected the cadavers and then tanned the skins themselves," Donovan said. "They would generally be used for binding books on medical treatises with the idea that if the book concerned medical issues, the binding as well should have something to do with medicine, so they would bind it in human skin."
Authors and scientists willingly donated their bodies after they died, but <a href="http://archderm.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1814819">criminals' corpses</a> were also used to bind texts about law or medicine. France's Reign of Terror also saw a spike in human-skin bindings, particularly those of nobles.nonadultnonadultTo create the strong covering material typical of the time, it would have gone through a similar treatment as hides in order to make it impermeable and more durable, Donovan said. "It's just animal skin, and if you think about us, we're animal skin, too."
While it's possible the book was bound with malicious intent, the conservators are skeptical that the binding is made of human skin, given the conflicting historical accounts. But it's a great opportunity to resolve this issue and to present what conservators do to a broader audience, Donovan said.
The book is available for viewing in Hesburgh Library's special collections by appointment.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultThis Sweet Video Encapsulates All Of Your Relationship Goalshttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/young-hearts?utm_term=4ldqpia
You don’t have to be young to be young at heart.

A new short video called "Young Hearts" shows three couples who are old souls but adorable teenagers at heart.

Berlin-based duo Nadine Schrader and Julia Wilczok released the ode to love under their directing moniker Acapulco.

The three couples have two things in common: They are madly in love, and according to the video's description, every week they gather at a senior's disco in Berlin to boogie.

And then we meet Ralf and Kristin (both 73), who prefer one rhythm in particular.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/young-heartsWed, 11 Mar 2015 21:14:42 -0400<b>You don't have to be young to be young at heart.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultBerlin-based duo Nadine Schrader and Julia Wilczok released the ode to love under their directing moniker <a href="http://acapulco-films.com/">Acapulco</a>.
The three couples have two things in common: They are madly in love, and according to the video's <a href="https://vimeo.com/119364421">description</a>, every week they gather at a senior's disco in Berlin to boogie.nonadultThey've been dating for three years. He says she makes him feel like Adonis on the dance floor.nonadultThey met while dancing, and they love to snuggle.nonadultThey've been married for over half a century!nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult21 Things Only Clash Of Clans Players Will Understandhttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/clash-of-clans-fans?utm_term=4ldqpia
I CAN’T TALK RIGHT NOW, THERE’S A WAR HAPPENING.

If you play Clash of Clans, you live in another world.

Maybe you found it or joined after some convincing, but now you have your own personal Narnia filled with barbarians and archers and valkyries, oh my!

Which makes finding a gem box a magical surprise each time.

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/clash-of-clans-fansMon, 09 Mar 2015 16:54:46 -0400<b>I CAN'T TALK RIGHT NOW, THERE'S A WAR HAPPENING.</b>kasiagalazkanonadultMars May Have Once Had More Water Than The Arctic Ocean, NASA Sayshttp://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/oh-man-look-at-those-cavemen-go?utm_term=4ldqpia
But where did all that liquid go?

]]>http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/oh-man-look-at-those-cavemen-goThu, 05 Mar 2015 18:56:58 -0500<b>But where did all that liquid go?</b>kasiagalazkanonadultnonadultnonadultThere has been evidence that Mars had a rich topography of precipitation, but new research suggests that the Red Planet may have had even more water than our very own Arctic Ocean.
Scientists estimate that about 4.5 billion years ago, Mars had enough water to cover its whole surface, <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2015/03/04/science.aaa3630.abstract?sid=84f8e2fb-b84c-485d-a678-ef083444fc06">a new study published in <i>Science</i> magazine</a> suggests.
Based on Mars' face today, the prime locale for the ancient ocean is the depressed land of its Northern Plains, where it would have covered 20% of the planet.nonadultnonadultOver the span of about six years, NASA researchers used three massive telescopes in Chile and Hawaii to compare ratios of water molecules in Mars' thin atmosphere throughout its seasons.
There's H2O, as you may be well-acquainted with, which has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Then there's HDO, which naturally occurs when a hydrogen atom is replaced with a heavier isotope called deuterium.
Because of its weight, deuterated water acts differently than normal water. <a href="http://www.space.com/28742-ancient-mars-ocean-water-lost.html#">As Space.com explains</a>, the hydrogen from H2O can vaporize and take off from Mars more easily, while the deuterium stays behind.nonadultnonadultMars' polar ice caps were found to have so much deuterium, researchers now suspect it lost a lot of water — which could indicate the planet was wetter and habitable for a longer time than previously thought, Michael Mumma, one of the paper's authors, <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/march/nasa-research-suggests-mars-once-had-more-water-than-earth-s-arctic-ocean/index.html#.VPjWDbDF8yB">told NASA in a release</a>.
So where did all that water go? Scientists speculate that as Mars' atmosphere depreciated over billions of years, it lost the heat and pressure required to keep water in its liquid form. The ocean steadily receded and condensed, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH8kHncLZwM">only about 13%</a> of it remains in the ice caps, which are still visible today.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultCan You Guess The Sex Toy Based On Amazon One-Star Reviews?http://www.buzzfeed.com/kasiagalazka/sexy-one-star-reviews?utm_term=4ldqpia
It’s not the Fifty Shades people expected. Pick which item you think matches the bad review. Warning: NSFW.